Official Statement of West African NGOs opposing sanctions on Mali

A statement from the coalition of West African non-governmental organizations calling on ECOWAS, the European Union, and the United States to exempt humanitarian aid from sanctions imposed on Mali’s military government

We the undersigned, representing a collation of human rights and West African humanitarian non-governmental organizations working on protecting civilians in conflict, write in opposition to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and EU collective sanctions against Mali.

The 15-member bloc has agreed to impose additional sanctions with immediate effect, including the closure of members’ land and air borders with Mali, the suspension of non-essential financial transactions, and the freezing of Malian state assets in ECOWAS central and commercial banks. The European Union has also announced plans to support ECOWAS in implementing collective sanctions on Mali.

The sanctions will damage an already vulnerable economy in Mali, one of the world’s poorest countries. It will have devastating consequences for the people and hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Around 2.5 million children in Mali are estimated to be outside of the education system, and approximately 1,595 schools are closed due to insecurity. Mali is in the middle of the worst food insecurity in 10 years, with over 7.5 million people needing urgent humanitarian aid.

The West African humanitarian non-governmental organizations coalition is asking to keep a humanitarian corridor open to the affected population. This is because so many Malians depend on our programs, and with the deepening of the crisis, the number of people in need is increasing. West African non-governmental organizations have been responding to the people’s urgent needs and will continue to do so.